AP investigation finds police/EMS cover-up after lethal ketamine injection
New report uncovers redacted info about the use of ketamine during an arrest that resulted in a fatality
The Associated Press published a new investigation today that examines the use of force by police across the United States. The investigation covers a wide array of techniques used by cops to restrain people. While these techniques are intended to be non-lethal, they often result in, or contribute to, the death of arrestees, as AP found in numerous cases.
Notably, the AP report includes the case of Demetrio Jackson, who died after being forcefully administered an overdose of ketamine by a team of officers and paramedics. Police made no mention of ketamine when discussing Jacksons’s case publicly. And AP found that information about the use of ketamine during Jackson’s arrest had been redacted in the official EMS report.
But it doesn’t stop there. The autopsy provided for Jackson stated that he had been administered 100 milligrams of ketamine prior to his death. But when AP uncovered the redacted info from the above-mentioned EMS report, they found that Jackson had in fact been given 400 milligrams of ketamine, a (literally) stunning dose that is practically guaranteed to produce serious adverse effects. And as AP reports, “all seven officers who put their hands on Jackson were cleared,” facing no legal consequences as a result.
To learn more about the lethal use of ketamine during arrest, check out the following excerpt from Drugism: